


Laced Up

by thegrayness



Category: Schitt's Creek (TV) RPF
Genre: Hot Chocolate, Ice Skating, Multi, Pastries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:00:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29385939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegrayness/pseuds/thegrayness
Summary: Noah takes his favorite humans ice skating.
Relationships: Clare Stone/Dan Levy/Noah Reid
Comments: 11
Kudos: 14
Collections: RPFebruary Prompt Fest





	Laced Up

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [rpfebpromptfest](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/rpfebpromptfest) collection. 



> **Prompt:**
> 
> Clare, Dan and Noah go ice skating together. Maybe they get hot cocoa or wine after. Maybe Clare and Noah invite Dan over after? Maybe they all just take Red for a walk after!

Noah is a morning person insomuch as anyone is a morning person on the day of an activity they’ve all but begged their partners to indulge in. He wiggles out from between bodies in bed, careful not to pull the blankets down too much because he knows Dan likes to be practically buried beneath the covers. Clare is indifferent, cover-wise, but she mumbles in her sleep and rolls into the spot Noah has vacated, pressing her face into the back of Dan’s shoulder. 

Grinning at the sight, Noah adds a pair of socks to his pajama ensemble and whispers for Redmond to follow him down the stairs. Redmond stretches languorously for several seconds before taking a single step in Noah’s direction. 

After he feeds the dog and puts on the coffee, Noah checks the weather. He has a backup plan if the weather doesn’t cooperate, so it’s not life or death, but he wants today to be perfect. 

Because today is ice skating day. 

Noah hears movement upstairs—typical, as the smell of coffee always wakes either Clare or Dan, and then they wake the other—and he lets Redmond outside quickly. It looks like Mother Nature is on his side, temperature good for skating and good for Dan who just does not care for the cold. 

Clare makes it downstairs first, predictably, because even though Dan is ostensibly the busiest of the three of them, he is also the grumpiest morning person Noah has ever met. He’s even somewhat nonverbal pre-coffee, which never fails to delight Noah and send him right into Dan’s arms for a morning kiss. 

Noah makes Clare a cup of coffee and delivers it to her spot at the kitchen table with a kiss on her cheek. She smiles up at him, which makes his heart flutter even now, and cups his cheek for a proper kiss. “Thanks,” she murmurs, curving her hands around her favorite mug, one she made years ago at a pottery class with her sister. 

He pours himself a cup and sips it standing in front of the open fridge, trying to decide the right breakfast for Ice Skating Day, something he hadn’t thought of in all his careful planning. To be fair, his careful planning had a lot more to do with their schedules lining up than anything else.

Red barks once from the backyard and Noah moves over to let him inside, bending to scratch behind his ears for a moment before Red decides he’s done with that and curls up in his bed. 

When he stands up straight again, Dan wanders into the kitchen. Noah can tell it’s a waffle morning. 

Dan pouts in front of the coffee maker for a moment before Noah steers him to the chair next to Clare, where he sits heavily and rests his head against her shoulder. Noah fixes Dan’s coffee and sets it in front of him, kissing his forehead before moving back to the fridge. 

“I think waffles,” Noah announces, smiling to himself when his two favorite humans sleepily yet enthusiastically mumble their agreement. 

It’s quiet for a while until the taste of coffee and the smell of waffles wakes them up, and then Dan’s the first one to speak.

“So, ice skating today?” The legs of his chair squeak against the floor as he pushes away from the table to stand and stretch. 

“Ice skating today,” Noah confirms. Dan brings his empty mug over for a refill, stopping behind Noah as he’s mixing batter. He rubs his face against the back of Noah’s neck, his stubble scratching deliciously against his skin. 

“I’m excited,” Dan says into Noah’s hair, voice muffled but Noah feels it slide down his spine. 

“You are?” Noah asks, dropping the wooden spoon he’s using to stir. He turns to face Dan, who still looks half-asleep behind his glasses, though his brows are pinched together, confused.

“Of course? You’ve been talking about it for weeks, Noah.”

Noah licks his lips and nods. “Yeah, but I know it’s not really your thing.”

Dan presses their foreheads together. “You’re my thing,” he whispers and kisses Noah gently. He tastes like coffee, and Noah licks his lips again when they part. 

“Oh,” Noah says. “Okay.” He clears his throat. “Good.”

Dan smiles and huffs out a laugh, moving away to pour himself another coffee. 

Noah looks over at Clare, and she’s clearly been watching their exchange. She smiles like she thinks he’s ridiculous and her eyes are shining with laughter and Noah blushes and turns back to breakfast. 

*

The three of them gather by the front door, crowding around the coat closet to collect the proper attire for ice skating. Noah watches Dan hold up two toques in front of Clare, one in a deep navy that Noah remembers being super soft and one in a tan color that Noah has seen on him a hundred times. 

Noah wraps his scarf around his neck as Clare takes the navy toque and carefully pulls it over Dan’s head. Then she takes the tan one and tugs it on over her long hair. She leans to the side to look in the mirror on the wall, and Dan squishes in next to her, nudging her so she has to grab onto him to catch her balance. They both laugh and Clare hits Dan on the arm. 

Smiling to himself, Noah finishes bundling up, feeling warm with so many layers but still in the warmth of their home. Clare practically bounces over when she’s ready, slipping her hand into the crook of Noah’s elbow. She presses a loud kiss to his cheek. “Ready, babe!”

“I see that. Nice hat.” 

She beams at him and Dan reaches from behind them to adjust it around her ears. “I agree,” he says. “Very stylish. Such great taste.”

They make their way out the door and pile into Noah’s car—Clare gives Dan the front seat like she always does, flirtatiously citing his long legs needing more room. Noah knows she just likes being able to lean forward to pop her head between them. 

The ride is short and soon Noah is pulling into the parking lot at the outdoor rink. He rounds the car into a spot a little ways away from the rest of the patrons to give them some room, and maybe some privacy. It’s not crowded—it’s mid-morning on a Wednesday in February—so they have plenty of time and space to do their own thing.

Noah pops the trunk to get their skates—his and Clare’s. Dan is renting, even though Noah offered to get him his own pair. If this, between the three of them, is going to last as long as Noah wants it to—that is to say, forever—Dan will definitely need a pair of skates. Dan just kissed him and said _let’s see how this time goes_. Noah agreed but pouted so Dan would kiss him again, and Dan did, until they were both smiling. 

He hands Clare her skates and grabs his own, shutting the trunk and taking Dan’s hand while Clare takes the other. Noah glances at Dan’s face and sees him try to hide a pleased smile beneath the folds of his gray scarf. Noah narrowly avoids puffing out his own chest in pride as the three of them head towards the entrance. 

They have to split up their three-across position for logistical reasons, Clare heading to one of the benches nearby to save some space and start lacing up her skates while Noah and Dan head over to the shed adorned with a peeling wood sign touting _Skate Rentals_. Noah presses his hand to the small of Dan’s back while they stand in line, while he tells the staff member what skates Dan needs, while he leads Dan over to the bench Clare commandeered. 

Dan lets out a laugh when Noah squats down to help him with his skates. “I think I can put on my own skates,” he says, eyes dancing with amusement. 

Noah looks up at him, and then over at Clare who is clearly barely restraining her laughter. “Yeah okay,” Noah says with a laugh of his own. He just really wants everyone to have a good time. 

He sits on Dan’s other side and the two of them work in near-tandem. Dan sits up when he’s done tying his right skate and nudges Noah’s shoulder. “You wanna check my laces, babe?”

Clare snorts into her gloved hand and buries her face into Dan’s shoulder. Why does Noah even love them? Nothing but constant sass from them both. 

He _does_ want to check Dan’s laces, though, so he does. They’re fine, and when he lifts his head to say so, Dan is staring down at him with the most tender look Noah’s ever seen, and his words get caught in his throat. 

“All good? Dan says, voice breaking slightly. Noah nods and levers himself up with his hands on Dan’s knees. Before he can straighten up, Dan wraps his fist around the front of Noah’s scarf, gently pulling him into a chilled kiss. “Thanks,” he murmurs, grinning. 

Noah brushes another kiss to his lips. “Of course.”

Clare stands and adjusts her coat and gloves and scarf, ending in a hands-on-hips pose, clearly ready to conquer the rink. Noah grins and wraps his arms around her waist, kissing her on the nose as she laughs.

Before Noah steps on the ice, he has every intention of staying with Dan for a while. Even though Dan insists he knows how to skate, Noah knows it’s been a while and he wants Dan to feel comfortable. 

When his blades touch the surface, though, the urge to skate across the rink is overwhelming. It’s been far too long, in Noah’s opinion, since he was on the ice. 

Clare must see something in his face, because she turns to him, where they are clustered off to the side of the entrance, and gives him a nudge. “Take a spin,” she says. “I’ll stay with Dan.”

Noah looks at Dan, who is frowning at them both. “I _can_ skate, you know. You don’t have to babysit me.”

Clare levels him with a Look. “It’s not about _babysitting_ , Dan, it’s about spending time together and I want to skate with you.” She says firmly, the voice she always uses when Dan expresses any kind of hint or concern that he thinks they don’t want him there. Which—happens few and far between nowadays. 

Dan’s cheeks flush beneath the perfect length of stubble he’s been sporting lately. “Okay,” he says.

Clare gives Noah a kiss, wrapping one hand around the back of his neck—a move that makes him shiver, and not from the cold. “Have fun,” she says, and that’s that. She turns back to Dan, who is still holding on to the boards despite his _I can skate_ declaration. Dan gives him a wave with his other hand, and Noah leaves them to it. Clare takes Dan’s free hand and Noah’s off, zooming towards one end of the rink. 

He does a lap, smiling when he passes Dan and Clare, their clasped hands swinging between them, Dan slightly wobbly on his front seat-required long legs. He laps them a few more times, turning to skate backward in front of them for a few moments, laughing when they call him a show-off in near unison. 

Noah meets up with them after five laps, catching Dan’s other hand and startling him into a near-fall. They catch him, of course, and the three of them laugh a little breathlessly as they cautiously move forward again. 

They meander around the rink, becoming that group of people taking up way too much space as the rink starts to fill even more—surprising for a weekday. 

“Hot cocoa!” Dan exclaims suddenly, as if he has never seen hot cocoa before. He points to a kid on a bench near the snack bar. “I need that.”

They hop off at the door and change out of their skates before heading over to the snack bar. Apparently a local bakery stocks the pastries, so they’re faced with a lot of gourmet choices. 

“I would like one of everything,” Dan says, turning to look at Noah. 

Clare nods eagerly on Noah’s other side. “Agree, one of everything.”

Noah obliges them, ordering them all hot chocolates as well, and they find a table. 

“This is nice,” Dan says on a sigh, leaning his chin on his hand, elbow on the table. Clare nudges Noah’s shoulder in agreement, chewing the last bite of a glazed donut. 

Noah ducks his head, feeling flush at the simple praise. 

“We should do this again,” Dan continues.

“Yeah?” Noah breathes.

Dan shrugs. “Of course. It’s been fun. Also pastries. So… nothing really to complain about.” He’s smirking and he pops a piece of danish in his mouth. 

“A ringing endorsement,” Noah answers dryly. 

Dan tilts his head. “It _is_ ,” he says fervently. 

Noah swallows around a sudden lump in his throat, unsure why he’s emotional about _ice skating_. “Good,” he says hoarsely, and Clare squeezes the hand he has resting in his lap. 

He holds Dan’s gaze for another moment before picking up his drink to take a sip. They’re quiet, comfortable, for a few minutes, eating and drinking and people watching, but then something occurs to Noah. 

He whips his head up to look at Dan. “Does this mean you need your own skates?” 

Dan smiles then, his teeth bright in the sunlight. “Sure, Noah. I need my own skates.”

Noah feels the toe of Dan’s boot nudge against his own foot under the table, and Clare leans in to press her face against Noah’s shoulder. 

Noah grins. “Perfect.”


End file.
